Alaska News

Alaska biding its time on 'No Child Left Behind' waivers

According to APRN, the Parnell administration has let one deadline pass for the state to apply for waivers that would exempt Alaska from parts of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The 2001 reform act is commonly criticised by educators as a bad fit for many Alaska schools, particularly those in rural areas. Part of the waiver process requires that states show how they plan to measure student achievement aside from the measures called for by NCLB.

Deputy Commissioner of Education Les Morse says that the decision not to apply for relief does not indicate that the administration doesn't plan to apply for exemptions by the final deadline next year, just that his department is taking a long look at testing various ideas and including stakeholders in the process.

The U.S. Department of Education has given states a final deadline to apply for waivers by mid-February.

Read or listen to much more, here.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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